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Contemplation on the Distinction between Essence and Form
Every moment the mind gives rise to pure light, the three bodies of the Buddha—Dharma body, Reward body, and Transformation body—are manifesting right within the five skandhas (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness) of each person. The body of true nature and the land of true nature are both one ontological ground of Suchness, like water and waves are not different; but when studying the Buddha’s teachings, we must distinguish between the noumenal (tánh) and the phenomenal (tướng), which is called the separate investigation of the noumenal and the phenomenal.
The light of contemplation arises and divides into the six harmonies (eye–seeing, ear–hearing, nose–smelling, tongue–speaking, body–touching, mind–consciousness), called the six miraculous lights; when covered by greed, anger, and ignorance, discrimination arises and one is caught in the suffering of samsāra. There are three doors of liberation: Emptiness, Signlessness, and Aimlessness—right in daily life, wearing clothes, bathing, eating rice, without seeking attainment, not caught by names or forms of the ancients.
The list of the three bodies of the Buddha:
- Dharma body
- Reward body
- Transformation body